It is a graduate course
note led by Prof. Jose-Luis Jimenez, and explorations into atmospheric chemistry
principles had been quite informative. Some of the topics covered include global
circulation, chemical transport, spectroscopy, and some more key atmospheric
processes. The note has focused around the chemistry of inorganic nitrogen and
acid deposition as well as around the role of aerosols, cloud, and fog
chemistry. The program seems to look for making sure students get a profound
understanding of complexity in the atmosphere and many other factors that go
into its chemistry, especially as it relates to environmental concerns.
Authored by Jes K. Jurgensen, Arnaud Belloche and Robin T. Garrod, this
PDF delves into the role that astrochemistry plays in the process of star
formation. Recent advances and challenges in the field are addressed, with a
focus on chemical inventories in star-forming regions. Chemical differentiation
and the evolution of the protostar under physical conditions are addressed by
the authors, who underscore fractionation as one of the processes. The
communication of physical and chemical aspects of star formation is made by the
document as it exposes the reader to such complicated interactions which finally
end in the emergence of stars and development of chemical complexity in space.
Author(s): Jes K. Jurgensen, Arnaud Belloche, and Robin T.
Garrod
Professor Nigel Mason
discusses in his paper the chemical origins of life, covering the synthesis of
nucleobases and DNA. Included in this also are the historical experiments, such
as Urey-Miller, and examines the chemistry of prebiotic types in conditions
similar to those prevailing on early Earth. This note covers important results
with regard to the question of life on Mars: investigations about meteorites
from Mars and ozone formation and depletion. It is an interesting overview of
astrochemical processes that could well have led to the origin of life on Earth
and elsewhere in the universe, founded on a blend of experimental data and
theoretical insights.